Why good leadership now starts with communication

Throughout history leadership has involved a mixture of power, cunning, communications skills and often a dash of luck. And politically, as humanity has progressed, communication has generally come to outweigh brute force as way of gaining and retaining power – in democracies at least. The aim of politicians has become to influence people, through whatever means and media.

Every political leader, from Churchill to Trump has their own communication style, but it would be wrong to think that it is just politicians who need to be able to communicate. Everyone in business, particularly CEOs, has to be able to get their message across – and those that succeed in doing so tend to be the ones that move up the ranks and get their pick of top positions.

So how can leaders turn themselves into communicators? While it isn’t an exact science these six areas are a good place to start:

1.Be open and honestNothing puts an audience off more than someone who is obviously trying to hide something. So be honest if you or your company has screwed something up – don’t hide behind a ‘no comment’ or a statement, or wait too long to go public. Get the facts out, explain what happened, show genuine contrition and demonstrate why it won’t happen again. At the same time analyse the situation and if there are mitigating circumstances or you believe that you aren’t at fault, explain your position. Don’t feel that you have to apologise for things outside your control – otherwise you’ll potentially be seen as weak and not in control of the situation.

2. Adjust your message
Different audiences have different needs. Talking to national press clearly requires you to use different language than if you are speaking to a trade journal or local paper. Understand your audience (and in the case of the media, the audience they enable you to reach), and tailor what you say. Avoid jargon and stock phrases and build empathy and understanding.

3. Listen first, then respondI find it incredibly frustrating when listening to the radio to hear the same clichés coming from the mouths of business leaders. Often it feels that they’ve simply memorised a script and are then bulldozing through it, irrespective of the interviewer’s questions. While you should have key messages you want to get across, listen to what you are being asked and respond genuinely, especially if it means putting your script to one side. Remember – people respond to people, not someone reading off an autocue.

4. Create your own style, but learn from othersWhen it comes to communication people regularly focus on the likes of Churchill, Martin Luther King and JFK as examples to follow. However, slavishly copying how other leaders communicate will lead to you sounding fake, and could hold back getting your message across successfully. So, while you should make a point of studying the style of communicators that you admire, work out what it is that you can apply to your own personality, rather than turning into a clone. And don’t just focus on the famous – look further afield to colleagues or people you’ve met when it comes to communication style and tips.

5. Don’t be afraid to seek helpNot everyone is a natural communicator – and while many people may be good in certain situations (such as addressing a board meeting), they struggle in other scenarios. Like most skills, communications can be learnt, so invest the time in getting training and advice so that you can fill any gaps in your armoury. The first step is recognising the need, and then you can take action.

6. Embrace new channelsCommunication is changing – and with more and more people being influenced by social media, ensure that you are equally at home on Twitter and Facebook as in formal speeches or journalist interviews. You only have to look at the success of Donald Trump to see the power that social media wields – make sure you take the time to embrace new channels that help you reach your audiences.

As a marketer I may be biased, but I believe clear communications is ever more important to being a successful leader. So invest the time and effort to continually improve your skills if you want a successful, long term career, whatever sort of organisation that you lead.

Why Revolutionary Measures?

Marketing is undergoing a revolution. The advent of social media provides the opportunity for one-to-one communication for the first time since the move to an industrial society. This blog will look at what this means for B2B PR and marketing, incorporating my own thoughts/rants and interests. Do let me know your feedback!

About me

I'm Chris Measures and I've spent the last 18 years creating and implementing PR and marketing campaigns for technology companies. I've worked with everyone from large quoted companies to fast growth start-ups, giving me unrivalled experience and ideas.
I'm now director of Measures Consulting, an agency that uses this expertise to deliver PR and marketing success for technology businesses.

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